Houston has misplaced a large. Former Mayor and present 18th District Congressman Sylvester Turner has handed away on the age of 70.
Turner, who was in Washington, D.C., for the Presidential State of the Union, was taken to a hospital shortly after the March 4th deal with, the place he died. His reason for dying stays unknown. He was beforehand recognized with bone most cancers in 2022 and had undergone surgical procedure and radiation therapy.
The information of his passing has despatched shockwaves by way of the Houston group and past, as Turner was greater than only a politician—he was a trailblazer, a tireless advocate and a person who devoted his life to public service.
A lifetime of service
Born and raised in Acres Properties, Turner—the sixth oldest of 9 kids—was a proud product of Houston’s public colleges. He graduated as valedictorian from Klein Excessive Faculty earlier than attending the College of Houston and later incomes his regulation diploma from Harvard. His authorized profession started at Fulbright & Jaworski, the place he labored as a trial lawyer earlier than co-founding Barnes & Turner, a distinguished regulation agency specializing in industrial and private harm litigation.
His story was one in every of perseverance and dedication to the folks. He spent practically three many years within the Texas Legislature, representing District 139. A bipartisan chief, he spent 21 years on the Home Appropriations Committee and 6 years as Speaker Professional Tem, taking part in a key position in shaping the state’s fiscal coverage.
In December 2015, Turner was elected Mayor of Houston and re-elected in 2019 by a large margin.
Throughout his tenure, Turner managed seven federally declared pure disasters, together with Hurricane Harvey, and led the town by way of the COVID-19 pandemic. He reformed Houston’s pension system, reducing billions in monetary liabilities, tackled homelessness and championed initiatives to enhance public security and environmental sustainability. His management amid nationwide requires policing reform additionally led to the creation of Houston’s Process Drive on Policing Reforms and an govt order limiting using drive.
Unfinished enterprise, lasting impression
Regardless of his many accomplishments, Turner typically spoke of the work left undone.
“You don’t reverse many years of disinvestment in eight years,” Turner stated in a earlier Defender interview throughout his ultimate days in workplace. “You can begin the method of investing and remodeling, however that’s not one thing that can be accomplished in eight years. So, I want I had extra time.”
Turner was significantly involved about younger males of coloration caught in cycles of violence and incarceration.
“From a public security standpoint, we’ve handled these points, nevertheless it’s by no means one and completed,” he defined. “I’m taking a look at 16 to 24-year-old, primarily Black males, who’re throwing their lives away. And I don’t wish to quit on them. We have to struggle for them.”
Considered one of his proudest achievements was increasing paid summer season internships for youth.
“After I got here in as mayor, the summer season internship program was for 450 college students—all working for the town. This previous summer season, we elevated that to greater than 20,000 paid internships. I’m very pleased with that,” Turner stated.
Turner’s ultimate yr as mayor was all about “execution and implementation.” He secured wage will increase for metropolis employees, expanded healthcare advantages for municipal staff and revitalized traditionally underserved communities.
“Whenever you go to the again of a lodge and a cook dinner stops you and says, ‘Thanks for the insurance coverage,’ when janitors and safety guards signal a Valentine’s Day card thanking you for getting them a elevate—these are the issues that matter.”
From shutting down landfills in Black neighborhoods to launching monetary empowerment initiatives, Turner’s management was transformational.
Even after leaving the mayor’s workplace, Turner wasn’t completed serving. Throughout a December 2024 interview with the Defender, he stated whereas his season might have modified, he was keen to go wherever God referred to as him.
“My season is altering, and typically, and I’ve come to the truth that typically the perfect time to maneuver away is when folks need you to remain,” he stated on the time. “I stated, God, wherever you need me to be, I’m obtainable….Life has a means of inflicting you to be extra reflective and put issues of their perspective. I’ve given 35 years of my life to public service. Perhaps it’s about time now for me to reclaim a bit of bit for me.”
That reflective area didn’t final lengthy as a result of the pull to serve was too nice. In 2024, he efficiently ran for Congress, representing Texas’ 18th District—a seat beforehand held by Barbara Jordan and Sheila Jackson Lee. It was one other alternative for him to champion Houston’s pursuits on a nationwide degree. Turner had plans to construct on the legacy left behind by Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington and Sheila Jackson Lee however was additionally wanting ahead to bringing his views.
He had deliberate to host city corridor conferences along with his constituents to interact with the group.
“I can’t consider anybody within the state of Texas who has been a legislator, mayor and now a member of Congress,” Turner stated at his swearing-in. “I believe I convey my very own distinctive experiences and perspective to the 18th Congressional District.”
A legacy of inspiration
For Turner, politics was by no means nearly energy—it was about altering lives.
Considered one of his most defining moments got here not within the halls of presidency however in a easy interplay with a toddler.
“I used to be talking on the College of Houston, and this little Black boy, possibly 10 years outdated, walked throughout the room straight to me and requested, ‘Are you the mayor?’ He adopted me to the stage and stood there the complete time, in awe. That second meant all the pieces to me,” Turner recalled.
His legacy was not simply in insurance policies however within the generations of Houstonians that he impressed—those that noticed a mirrored image of themselves in his journey.
Nationally, Turner served as Chair of the African American Mayors Affiliation and was a Trustee of the U.S. Convention of Mayors, additional cementing his popularity as a number one voice in city coverage and governance.
Turner was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and regardless of his many accomplishments, he remained rooted in Acres Properties. He was additionally a faithful father and grandfather.
A metropolis in mourning
Houston Mayor John Whitmire urged the town to return collectively in remembrance.
“This comes as a shock to everybody,” Whitmire stated. “I’d ask Houstonians to return collectively, pray for his household, and have a good time this outstanding public servant.”
Whitmire, visibly emotional, mirrored on his shut relationship with Turner.
“Not many individuals know the way shut Sylvester and I had been. I used to be within the Texas Senate for 40 years; he was a state consultant in my district for twenty-four years. Nobody has launched me extra in public than Sylvester Turner,” Whitmire stated. “And nobody has launched him greater than John Whitmire. We’ve been collectively in good occasions and dangerous occasions.”
